Today, if Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) customers want secure mobile terminated access to remote cellular modems, these customers are required to purchase hardware and Virtual Private Networking (VPN) licenses, and lease T1 lines or MPLS circuits along with specialized software to access these modems on the cellular carrier's network.
FIG. 1 shows a typical architecture. The system involves the customer enterprise network 10. This customer enterprise network 10 is made up of the customer's hardware, such as servers, desktops, storage arrays and the like. To connect securely to the internet, the customer enterprise network 10 may be connected to a carrier network 30, through one or more dedicated communications links 20.
These dedicated communications links 20 may be one or more T1 lines or MPLS Circuits, typically acquired or leased from a communications carrier. In other embodiments, the communication links 20 may be metro-Ethernet connections, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), or another fast speed connection. The communications carrier may be a telephone or communications company, such as AT&T or Verizon, among others.
Within the carrier network 30, a private customer subnet 40 may be established. Remote users and machines connect to the customer enterprise network 10 through the use of specialized networking software, such as virtual private networks (VPNs). These VPNs may be terminated on the carrier network 30.
Typically, to implement this architecture, the customer is required to invest in additional hardware, such as routers 11, to connect to BGP AS (Border Gateway Protocol—Autonomous Systems) routers 31 in the carrier network 30. The customer is also required to obtain VPN licenses and to lease the communications links 20. Additionally, it often requires dedicated labor, in the form of consultants, for the customer to attain the desired architecture. Finally, it may take many months to deploy this architecture.
The current method is complex, slow, and costly. Therefore, it would be beneficial if there were a system for creating a private network without the associated costs and complexities and with the speed to match the business needs of the end customer.